Times Cryptic #29426

2025-12-30

Solve on Times →

Across

1a

Insert provided in posh catalogue (8)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

IF (provided) contained by [insert…in] CLASS~Y (posh)

5a

Call secretary to return ring (6)

flowerflowerflower
9a

Standard item of cavalier language (8)

flowerflowerflower
10a

Signal to turn right? (6)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

BE A CON (to turn right – become a Conservative )

12a

Heading for escalator, passed on lift (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

E {scalator} [heading for…], LATE (passed on)

13a

Before promotions, implement toxic growth (9)

flowerflowerflower
14a

Warning to PR team, scrambling behind collapse (6,6)

flowerflowerflower
18a

Man contributing to partnership on home ground? (12)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Cryptic

21a

Java product, perhaps filling island cocktail (9)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

APP (Java product, perhaps), LET IN (filling), I (island) . APPLET (Java product, perhaps), IN (filling), I (island). This was the clue that did for me. I never heard of the cocktail; nor have Chambers Word Wizard or  Crossword Solver. Thanks to glh for the correction to my original parsing.

23a

Broad humour out of reach these days (5)

flowerflowerflower
24a

Swear in cricket match? (6)

Generating...
25a

Teacher training left large blunder in writing (8)

flowerflowerflower
26a

Tiresome, what judges get up to (6)

flowerflowerflower
27a

Trusting pub with old foreign money (8)

flowerflowerflower

Down

1d

Heavy metal piano bores manager (6)

flowerflowerflower
2d

Each nest individually overturned antenna (6)

flowerflowerflower
3d

Friend pursuing tasteless drawing (9)

flowerflowerflower
4d

Misshapen ice? A chef must accept consequences (4,3,5)

flowerflowerflower
6d

Crowd ahead of Spurs on sidelines (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

PRE (ahead of), then S {pur} S [on sidelines]

7d

Cold stuffing on the way, baked in pastry (2,6)

flowerflowerflower
8d

Letter turned whimsical, gripping as well (8)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

DROL~L (whimsical) reversed [turned] containing [gripping] AND (as well)

11d

Jargon on a ship upset North Americanone from Harvard? (12)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

CANT (jargon), A , BRIG (ship), then NA (North American) + I (one) reversed [upset]. That’s Cambridge, Massachusetts

15d

Possibly some faint political statement (9)

flowerflowerflower
16d

Hard to go in for length of friendly game (8)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

P{l}EASANT (friendly) becomes PHEASANT (game) when H (hard) replaces [to go in for] L (length)

17d

Youngster favoured extremely rascally manipulation (8)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

PUP (youngster), PET (favoured), R {ascall} Y [extremely]

19d

Delivered cheeses for picnic (6)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Aural wordplay [delivered] “Bries” (cheeses). ‘Breeze’ and   ‘picnic’ are both used to describe something that’s easy. Or as Dorsetjimbo used to say, ‘a walk in the park’.

20d

Wine selection from customer lottery (6)

flowerflowerflower
22d

Relax topless somewhere in Germany (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

{l} ESSEN (relax) [topless]